The Return of Mac User’s Blog
Posted by Andrew | Filed under Uncategorized
I knew that if I hung on to the domain, that I would inevitably use it once again. Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, I spent an entire morning and afternoon furiously refreshing Engadget and shouting sub-profanities at my computer as I tried to get Leo Laporte’s TWiT Live stream to load. It ignited a spark in my soul that made me come to a realization that I wanted to blog about Apple again.
And I did, on this site. But, I starting to think that I want to give it another go. Blogging is the only thing that I can really keep up with in my modern life. I’ve tried many attempts at podcasting with little success, mostly because I lack the radio voice and the competent think-on-my-feet ability that it requires. I also lack the equipment, bandwidth, and the time. I currently can’t even keep up on my Twitter feed let alone a podcast. That being said, I am open for requests to appear on a podcast 
You can read the old archives of the former Mac User’s Blog here on it’s original Blogger platform (how far we have come). The launch of the new Mac User’s Blog is happening on February 1st, stand by!
Thoughts on the iPad
Posted by Andrew | Filed under Apple
Today, Apple finally ended the endless speculation about the magical super tablet computer device by introducing a very big iPhone. Okay, so it’s not really just a big iPhone. It’s more of a shrunken MacBook with a more simple version of OS X. Remember, the software running the iPhone is OS X.
I still don’t think that this is a device with mass appeal. It is a really specialized device which I think is perfect for people who do a lot of traveling who want a small device with a big screen to watch movies and read books with in the airport and on the plane and in the bus. I also can see that there is a lot of potential in the medical field. However, if you think that college students like me are going to be carrying these things around with their textbooks on them, well, there’s a problem.
It’s too expensive for the people living on my budget. I mean, digital versions of textbooks are cheaper than there physical counterparts, but they are still pretty expensive. But instantly, without buying a single textbook, you’ve spent at least $500, and let’s be honest, you will have spent closer to 6 or 700 for the better versions. Then, lets say you are going to be saving around $150 a semester on books, so you have to be in school at least 2 years before it actually pays itself off. And that’s all depending on if the textbooks are actually available on the iBook Store or somewhere else.
Oh, and by the time it pays it’s self off, you will want to buy a new one. Because the new one will have a camera, and 4G wireless, and will cost $200 less.
That being said, I want one. I have to just give it up, I am a wanna-be Apple fanboy I would buy anything that Steve Jobs tells me too if only I had the money. I think that this is a great device and would love to just have one to carry around to use to surf the net and to take notes and all of that. I am quite tired of carrying my 15 inch MacBook Pro around, it’s pretty heavy after you’ve been out on campus for a whole day.
Some may say, why not just buy a smaller, less heavy netbook like the Dell Mini or an ASUS Eee PC. It would be cheaper and offer all the functionality you need for a day in class. Well, it’s really hard to use a clamshell laptop when you’re legs are crossed. A tablet solves this promise. And the netbooks aren’t that inexpensive, I mean, do you really want to deal with Linux or Windows 7 Starter?
The Public Laundromat
Posted by Andrew | Filed under General
You know what’s great about public laundromats? They aren’t in your home. I am sitting here in a public laundry to the east of downtown Salt Lake City and I am actually forced to do something productive such as update my continually neglected blog here. After this, I may read a book or do some of the homework I need done before classes on Tuesday.
The reason for this is that I don’t have my TV, I don’t have my comfy office chair, all I have are a bunch of silver washers built in Sweden by a company I have never heard of to watch. And after watching them for more than two minutes, you will become very bored and want to do something else. After I finish writing this pointless post, I will probably read my new book, Inventory, by the writers of the A.V. Club.
The other thing is that the rules at the public laundromat are all posted clearly on each washer and dryer. Rules such as how to insert detergent and bleach and how to properly treat the machines. When you are in a situation with roommates and a landlord who owns the machines and doesn’t bother to go over the rules with you, you are just guessing, and eventually, your security deposit disappears.
The other reason Laundromats are great is that a person like me isn’t responsible enough to own something like a washing machine or a dryer. And when you live alone, thousands of dollars for such machines just doesn’t seem economical, when you consider the water and electricity that they use and you will have to pay for. The laundromat is $1.75 a load in the washer, and another dollar or so to dry them. If you only need to do a load every week, that’s about $140 to $150 a year. Imagine how much you would be spending in interest on the credit card you would have to had put the machines on.
Now, I must finish this up, both the machines I’m using are one cycle away from finishing. That’s right, I can use two machines at once here.
A New Semester at the U
Posted by Andrew | Filed under Education
Is it weird that I know who Angela Merkel is? Or Herman Van Rompuy? They are the German Chancellor and the the former Belgian Prime Minister now serving as the President of the European Union. Apparently, pretty much all Americans, at least the ones I come into contact with don’t. But, I am a European citizen, so I probably should know these things.
I am now taking a class entitled European Politics in an effort to demonstrate my superior knowledge of a subject to my peers who don’t care either way. Don’t worry though, because I am going to be repeatedly humbled by Dr. Dan Jones in his U.S. Public Opinion and Elections class. This is the professor I had last semester for Political Science/U.S. Government something or other. I can’t remember what the class was called. Which brings up the question, what is Democracy?
Dr. Jones asked us this in out second class a few days ago, and it is an interesting question. There have always been people debating whether or not the United States is a democracy of a republic. Democracy is a government that is run directly by the people voting on certain issues, but we elect leaders for local and national government like a republic would, so what exactly are we?
Hopefully, some of these questions may be answered with the help of my American Civilization class. Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? It really is just a class about the history of the United States starting from the colonization of the eastern Atlantic coast up to the second World War. The first thing I learned in this class is the apparently, the Chinese came within a couple hundred yards of the San Francisco bay area, but never bothered to go on the land and check it. Don’t worry though, with the amount of money the U.S. owes to China, they may get a seond chance at owning California.
Last but not least, I am taking a class in World Regional Geography. Again, this is only to demonstrate some sort of superiority over my peers, who don’t care. No actually,I just like looking at maps, I think it’s fun.